2 New Vaccination Sites Open In Orange County With CA's My Turn

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Great Park in Irvine and Edwards Lifescience's campus in Santa Ana will be the locations of two new mass vaccination sites, with appointments accessible through the state run My Turn website, officials say.

Providence, a national nonprofit health system, is partnering with Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW), the Orange County-based medical technology company, and the Cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin in the opening of the two sites.

The Providence clinic at the Edwards Lifesciences site, made possible by a $500,000 donation from the company as well as significant facility and staffing support, was strategically chosen due to its capacity and central location, according to officials.

The clinic opens Wednesday at 3009 Daimler St. in Santa Ana.

The second Orange County Great Park clinic, in partnership with the City of Irvine, will open at the on Monday.

That is a drive-through clinic, at 8000 Great Park Blvd., and will offer residents convenient access to coronavirus vaccines from the comfort of their vehicles.

Vaccines are by appointment only and can be scheduled at myturn.ca.gov or by calling 1-833-422-4255. Free parking is available adjacent to the clinic location at Edwards.

"To ensure smooth operation of the sites, the Cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin are providing resources, including public safety and equipment," a spokesperson says. Through targeted outreach and multi-lingual communications, the cities are also working to overcome accessibility challenges and immunization hesitancy within their local communities.

Erik G. Wexler, president, operations and strategy, of Providence - South, spoke on the new sites opening and what it means to residents still seeking vaccination from COVID-19.

“Providence is committed to providing Orange County residents with access to the vaccine, particularly our most vulnerable communities that are bearing the brunt of this virus, and our strong partnerships are making that possible," Wexler said. "Working with the dedicated staff at Edwards and the Cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin to open these two sites, helps us increase our capacity to deliver more vaccine doses and keep our communities healthy."

Providence has helped lead vaccine distribution in the region, having administered more than 256,815 doses to date. Providence clinical and operations teams will staff the mass vaccine clinics, and through its regional operations, have access to the three U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Following the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Providence has paused use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Once fully operational, the two sites together will be able to vaccinate up to 4,000 residents per day, with the ability to expand depending on vaccine supply. All vaccines are administered free of charge.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been over 44,000 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Ana, equating to a 13.2% positivity rate. Neighboring cities have faced lower, but still high positivity rates, with Irvine having a 3.6% positivity rate; Tustin, 7.49%; and Costa Mesa, 7.59%. Furthermore, communities of color continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Providence is committed to helping reduce health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, and recently made an initial investment of $1.4 million to expand outreach and education and increase the COVID-19 testing and vaccination supply to marginalized communities. In addition to pop-up vaccine clinics in at-risk communities, Providence hopes these two new mass clinics will help support equitable distribution of vaccines across the county.

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